Continuous-sheet-rolling mill.



J. B. McKlBBIN.

CONTINUOUS SHEET ROLLING MILL. APPLICATION FILED JAN-30.19H.

1,260,784. Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

5 SHEETS-SHEET I.

3:? n n Ii n n n n WITNESS INVENTOR.

J. B; McKIBBlN.

commuous SHEETROLLI/NG MILL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30. 1917- Patented Mar. 26

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2'.

: wimzss W %W% J. McKIBBIN.

CONTINUOUS SHEET ROLLING MILL.

APPLLCATION FILED JAN-30.1917.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

5$HEETSSHEET 3.

, INVENTOR.

J. B. McKIBBlN.

CONTINUOUS SHEET ROLLING MILL.

APPLICATION HLED JAN. 30.1912. 1,860,784. Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

5 S HEETS-SHEE'T 4.

W O T N E V N s 5 E N n w I. B. McKIBBIN.

CONTINUOUS SHEET ROLLING MILL.

I APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30. I911; Patented Mar. 26

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

WITNESS JOHN B. ircmrm, or GRAFTON, PENNSYLVANIA,

AssIGNor. or ONE-HALF 'ro EDMONDS J". SUGDEN, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

coNrINuoUs-sHEEr-no LINe MILL.

17 0 all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JOHN B. MGKIBBIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grafton, in the. county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Continuous-Sheet-Rolling Mills, of' which the following is a specification. My invention consists of animprovement 1n, apparatus for the continuous rolling of sheet metal and comprises means for heat ing the metal, subjecting it to an edge rolling operation, a preliminary reducing rolling operation, doubling and flattening of the metal, a further rolling treatment, re-heating it in transit, and successively subjecting it to additional reducing, doubling, flattening, re-

heating and reducing steps successively, and; final rolling, whereby to reduce an original,

slab to a plural thickness doubled paek? form, ready for shearing. V

' It has in view to provide an improvement in the art of reducing sheet metal, whereby to reduce the cost, maintain uniformgage, effect equalization of the temperature of the reducing rolls and their resulting action on the metal, and various other inc1dentaladvanta es and improvements as shall be more fully hereinafter described.

Ordinarily the reduction of comparatively thin metal from bar, billet, or other form to sheets, strips, or any of the more usual forms in which thin gage metal is used, as for instance black plate, tin plate, or other similar forms, is by reducing the blanks to the desired gage in assembled single sheet form, and known as packs.

In such methods the'resulting finally reduced lengths are comparativel short, and therefore have but partial contact with the entire area of the rolls, due to the circumference of the rolls being of much greater dimension than the length of the lengths of metal being rolled. My invention has in view to reduce the metal. continuously, in a single continuous blank of abnormal length, whereby to secure the desirable uniformity of gage, economy, speed and any desired practical length of doubled or re-doubled plates.

The operation involves and contemplates the action on the metal blank by a plurality of rolling or reducing operations,in connection with the intermittent re-application of Specification-of Letters Batem.

' Application filed January 30, 1917. Serial No.

Eatented Mar. as, rare.

heat, whereby to renew theoriginal temperature of the blank and constantly maintain it in a reducible, ductile condition, especially in view of the comparatively thin gage to which the metal 'is being'reduced, inc0nnection with doubling and flattening operations, whereby to' finally produce a doubled or wmulti-doubled pack, of approximately a multiple length of the desired size for final use. v

By my processand improved apparatus the, initialheat and ductility of the metal is thus maintained practically uniform from start to finish during the rolling or reducon steps. g I

The process involves the passage of the blank as it comes from the reducing rolls and doubling mechanism, through are-heating' furnace so arranged and provided with guide mechanism as to insure the exposure of the metal to'the heat for a considerable continuous period of time and at various levels or zones throughout its passage through the furnace or furnaces, before it emerges therefrom and is introduced into the next stand of rolls.

.An especial advantage in the operation is that the blank is formed into an unusually long strip so that when rolled out, it is engaged by all portions of the periphery of therolls of the mill, one or more times, the rolls being of such dimensions that they will make more than one revolution during the passage of the strip therethrough, thereby avoiding unequal expansion of the rolls and eflecting their uniform heating and maintaining their circular contour throughout, with resulting equal action on the material.

Any inequalities in the rolls, due to unequal heating are apt to cause sticking or unequal reduction of the metal, especially when rolled in packs, and by my invention 1 overcome any such tendency, and produce initial three-hi h and "tablesydoubler,

and a portion 0 the first re-heating furnace.

QFig. dis a plan'view of theconstruction Fig. 6 1s a plan View of the construction shown in Fig. 5, partly in section.

Fig. 7 is a. diagrammatic View in elevation of the two step rolls of the three-high mill.

1 Fig. 8 is a view of the doubler in elevation,

partly in section; j

Fig. 9 is 'a plan view of the doubler partly 1n section.

Fig. 10 is a view of the doubler in end ele vation, showing the. gearing.

Fig. 11- is a cross-sectionon the line XI,

X12015 Fig. 9." v

Flg. 2 is a similar section on the line XII, XILiof Fig; 9.

Fig. 13 is a longitudinal sectionaldetaili 1 view on the line X111, X111, of Fig. 9.

Fig. 14 is a detail view showing the clutch connection between the upper doubler roll and its driving mechanism.

The -.slab.or blank from which 'the prod- 1 uct is formed is substantially 3 feet long, by

2 t inches wide, by .5 inches thick, orof other suitable dimensions, adapting it for reduction to thin sheet or plate metal, in contin uous strips of considerable length.

In the drawings, A represents the initial heating furnace in whichthe slabs are heat- F ed and conveyed through the furnace, as is usual in continuous heating furnaces, onto an inclined slide 2 at the end thereof.

Adjacent the discharge end of the fun nac'e and S5116. table is a continuous conveyer- 3 of thesprocket chain type, which receives the slab 'edgewis'e and by which it is carried edgewise forwardly and through .the edglng rolls of the mill B, a curved guide 2 being provided to assist the setting-up location of the blank.

The housing for the edging rolls is provided at each side with driven guiding rolls 1, 4, in pairs, at each side of the housing,

arranged vertically asshown and providing sufiicient space between them for passage of the metal. 1

Grooved edging rolls 5, 5, are mounted by thelr journals 6 in suitable bearings, within the housing provided with the usual adjusting mechanism. The grooves of rolls" 5 are adapted to engage the upper and lower edges of the blank under sufiicient compress1on to reduce it to the desired width, removlng any inequalities in the edges, and at the same time the action of the edging Beyondthe edging mill is the three-high mill C, consisting of the rolls 8, 8, 8, mounted by their. journals in suitable hearings in the usual manher and connected with driving gearing 9, as is customaryin such mills. Each of the rolls 8 is provided with a plural face 8, 8", respectively, as shown in Figs. 3 and 7 each face substantially corresponding to the normal width of the blank in one direction of rolling or another. The rolls are adjustable with relation to each otheigwhereby to space them apart the de sired distance to efiect the reduction of the single thickness offmetal and the reduction of thedoubled thickness, as hereinafter de- At each side of the three-high mill is provided a feed table 9, 10, respectively, having 1 The raising and lowering mechanism may be of any desired or well-known construction,.,as a bell crank 12 connected with the table by link 13 and by connection 14 with each other, and by pitman 15 withthe crank of an actuating shaft 16. Suitable gearing and clutch mechanism, also of well-known construction is provided, as indicated in ig. 3. y

Eachtableis provided with the duplicate set of feedrolls. 11, 11,and 11, 11,

respectively arranged in tandem relation to each series of faces 8* or 8 of the mill, whereby to feed the metal thereto as desired in one direction or another.

Beyond the three-high mill and adjacent to the delivery table 10 thereof is the first doubler D. The function of this machine is to effect doubling of the blank after it-has been reduced and elongated by the threehigh mill, and to also close it together at its middle portion by compression, whereby to bring the two faces of the blank into close folded relationship. This doubler is shown somewhat more fully on Sheet 5 0f the drawbearings 19 toward roll 18 by a transverse dle 22. f

Upperroll 18 is made removable, for the purpose of providing clearance for the flattening operation and removal of the doubled sheet, for which purpose it is connected with an actuating cylinder 23. Said cylinder is connected with a semi-cylindrical returning guide 24: surrounding the back portion of roll 18, leaving intervening clearance for .passage of the sheet metal in its return movement, and a permanentlymounted de-. pressing guide 25 is arranged to register" with the upper edge portion of guide 24:

as shown in Fig. 11. Said guide 25 operates to guide the upper returned portion-of the 1 sheet downwardly over the lower portion.

Roll 18 is mounted to rotate on its supporting spindle 26, which in turn is fixedly connected with the cylinder 23 and travels.

with it in one direction and the other.

The outer end of spindle 26 is tapered as at 27 and is adapted -to fit within a correspondingly tapered socket 28. of a driving spindle 29. Said spindle 29 is rotatably mounted within suitable bearings 30 and 31' and is provided with a pinion 32meshing with gear 33, the'spindle being driven by a gear wheel 34. By this means the rolls 17 and 18 are actuated to feed the" blank inwa'rdly as delivered from .the rolls 8 and cause it to reverse upon itself up to its mid dle portion, whereupon the feed rolls are opened, releasing the plate and stopping the feed.

The housing frame of doubler D is/pro vided beyond said rolls with a' fixed platen or table 35 above which is located a co-acting movable platen 36 forming the end portion of a cylinder 37 which is mounted upon and movable with relation to a fixed spindle 38 like spindle 39 of cylinder 23. Platen 36 is also provided with a forwardly extending toe projection 36 forming a part of cylinder 37. This projection extends over the doubled rounded portion of theblank or to about the center of the sheetreversing rolls 17, 18, and first engage the blank when the platen is lowered. By this means the rounded bend is forced inwardly between table 35 and platen 36, insuring engagement by these parts.

Each of said spindles is provided with supply and exhaust pipes 40 and 41 respectively, leading through the spindle 38-39 to one side and the other of the relatively stationary piston head 42. By this means, upon admission of fluid pressure to one or the other side of said piston head. cylinder '23 or 37 may be positively actuated in one direction or the other.

Each cylinder is provided with slidablc bearing mounting mechanism, cylinder 23 being movable along the top of a bed plate 23, while cylinder 37 is provided with crosshead guides 37 engaging the vertical side 'portions of housing of doubler D, as in Fig. 8.

Spindle 29 is provided with an inner toothed terminal 43 adaptedto engage the teeth44 at the end of roller 18, whereby to rotate it when the roller is in operative position,fin, conformity with the coacting roller 17.\ 7 Q Beyond the doubler D areYlocated the reheatingfurnaces E, E, although but one such re heating'furnace may be used-if desired. These are of the general type shown by which allythe rollers of one series are actuated together in the same direction, the

successive series of rollers at varyin levels being actuated in the-same way an alternatin'g in the opposite direction throughout the entire ,several series of carrying rollers within, the heating furnace.

. Terminal feed rollers 47. are rovided with suitable reversing guides 47 at each end of the furnace whereby to feed the metal as it emerges, from the end of the furnace from oneseries of rolls backwardly through an- I other adjacent series, and so on, until the blank has. been'caused to traverse the furnace lengthwise, for a suflicient period of time to re-heat, finally emerging from the end opposite the entrance end, at a higher or lower level.

The advantage in providing a pair of such reheating furnaces as shown, is that the metal eventually passes out of the end of the second reheating furnace at the same level at which it entered the first furnace.

A suitable bridge 48 is provided between the furnaces, and a similar receiving table or bridge 49 receives the strip of metal in its passage toward the next reducing mill F. Said mill is two-high, having continued by their terminals in suitable bearings and driven by any convenient means of wellknown construction.

Beyond the two-high min, F is a stationary roller table 51, having a series of driven rollers 52 by which the metal is fed to a second doubler G, similar in construction and operation to doubler D, above described. By doubler G, the blank previously doubled by doubler D, and as further reduced by rolls 50, is again doubled and flattened or creased at its middle bendin point, provid ing a i -ply pack. The pac in such form ously driven single pass rolls, 50, 50, mount- 1 them "into register. with the upper ,pass,

similar to mill F, having rolls 54, ,54, an suitable actuating mechanism, as shown in" Fig. 1. Beyond the two-high mill H, I locate a second pair of reheating furnaces I, I, of

the same construction and manner of operation as furnaces E, E, through which the four-ply pack is caused to travel,becomin again 're-heated, after which it is introduce to the rolls of a third two-high millJ, like mills Ffand H. The l-ply pack is here further'reduced andpasses therefrom over the rolls of a feed table 55 to a third doubler K where it is again doubled and flattened and formed into an 8-ply pack. Such packis then passed through the rolls of a fourth two-high mill L, driven as shown in Fig. 1. Referring somewhat more in detail to the several operations described, and assuming the blank to have passed through the edging rolls 5, 5, of the mill B on to the first series ofreceiving feed rollers 11 of-table 9, it falls over or is laid flatwise thereon and progresses toward the alined faces 8 of the i middle and lower rolls 8 of mill Cf Passing through these rolls, the single thickness blank receives its first reduction ,in thickness and passes on to the .feed rollersll of, .table 10 a The tables are then elevated, bringing whereupon the single blank is then reversed in direction, passing between the faces 8 of the middleand upperroll 8 and being re- 'ceived again on rollers 11,

The blank is then shifted edgewise laterallytherefromto feed rollers 11" of table 9 and the tablebeing lowered, is by them inplate 23 by the dovetail engagement there with, as shown in Fig. 12.

Platen 36 is then lowered upon the rounded or doubled connecting portion of the blank, flattening it upon platen 35 and bringing the two faces of the blank closely together. The doubled or -2-ply pack is then fed back through the upper pass of mill C,

and returned through the lower passfbeing, further reduced.

The pack is then progressed by feed rollers 11 through the opened space of the doubler, platen 36 having been ralsed, across bridge e, entering between the first pair of feed rollers 47*.of the first re-heating furnace E; a v.

In its passage through the re-heating furnace the blank is re-heated and isthen introduced to mill F. Thereafter the opera' tions of rolling, doubling, rolling, re-heat-.

ing, and again rolling, doubling and rolling, are repeated, the pack finally emerging from the last rolling treatment in finished doubled 8-ply pack form.

Thesevarious steps effect a gradual reduction of the thickness with corresponding elongation, without any substantial change in the width. y

It will be understood that the continuous blank may be doubled, re-heated, and reduced any desired number of times within the limitations of practicable treatment; that the successive rolling operations reduce the gage or thickness uniformly throughout; that the re-heating steps effect the fmaintenance of the necessary ductility; and

that by shearing off the edges and v the doubled connecting creased end portions, a

finished pack of uniform dimensions is produced.-

The operation is, to a large extent, auto- 'matic.

The treatment is,continuous, economical and rapid, and by reason of the continuous exposure of the rolls to the atmosphere the harmful veffects of the unequal heating of the rolls is avoided, and the metal being treated is consequently of an even thickness and better grade. The usual matching of the single sheets necessary in ordinary pack rolling, is also obviated.

' The mechanism herein illustrated and described may be changed or varied in various details of construction by the skilled Ymechanic or designer to suit the conditions of manufacture as to gage, dimensions,

. etc., within the scope of the following claims.

' What I claim is 1. Means for reducing a heated metal blank to sheet form consisting of a series of consecutively operating elements comprising a reducing mill, a doubling mechanism, a re heatin furnace, and an additional reducing mill, doubling mechanism, re-heating' means, a conveying means associated with sa1d mechanism and adapted to transfer furnace, an. edge rolling mill, means for conveying the blank from the furnace to said mill, a three-high mill, a doubler beyond the three-high mill, ad1ustable transfer tables between the edge-rolling mill and the three-high mill and between said mill and the doubler respectively, a reheating furnace beyond said doubler, and a subsequent reducing mill.

4:. Means for reducing a metal blank to sheet form comprising an initial heating furnace, an edge rolling mill, means for conveying the blank from the furnace to said mill, a three-high mill, a doubler beyond the three-high mill, adjustable transfer tables between the edge-rolling mill and the threehigh mill and'betwecn said mill and the doubler respectively, a re-heating furnace beyond said doubler, and subsequent reduc- :1

ing means doubling means, and lie-heating means arranged in the order stated adapted to produce a plural-ply continuous pack.

In testimony whereof ll hereunto affix in Si ature.

y gn JOHN B. MCKIBBIN. 

